Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures

GeoTek's staff of engineers are qualified to prepare your Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan. Since 1973 the US EPA has implemented SPCC regulations governing above ground storage of petroleum products. These regulations were developed in an effort to prevent the release of petroleum products (oil spills) and are contained in 40 CFR 112.7.

The SPCC rule applies to owners or operators of facilities that drill, produce, gather, store, use, process, refine, transfer, distribute, or consume oil and oil products. The federal regulations have three basic criteria before a facility is subject to the rule:

1. The facility must be non-transportation related;
2. It must have an aggregate aboveground storage capacity of 1,320 gallons or a completely buried storage capacity of 42,000 gallons;
3. There must be a reasonable expectation of a discharge into or upon navigable water of the United States.

Oil is defined by the Federal rule to include: petroleum; fuel oil; sludge; oil refuse; fats, oils or greases of animal, fish, or marine mammal; vegetable oils including oils from seeds, nuts, fruits, or kernels; synthetic oils; and mineral oils.

SPCC plans ensure that facilities put in place containment and other countermeasures that would prevent oil spills that could reach navigable waters. A spill contingency plan is required as part of the SPCC Plan if a facility is unable to provide secondary containment (e.g., berms surrounding the oil storage tank).?

The elements of the SPCC Plan include:

Discussion of Conformance with Federal Regulations
Facility Description, Diagram, and Contacts
Tank Information
Discharge Prevention and Control Measures
Discharge Countermeasures and Recovered Material Disposal Methods
Discharge Notification Information and Procedures
Potential Spill Predictions (Volumes, Rates and Quantities)
Written Inspection and/or Test Procedures
Personnel Training
Site Security